New-York tribune. [volume] (New York [N.Y.]) 1866-1924, 1887-12-23
FROZEN TO DEATH IN KANSAS
THE COAL CARS GUARDED BY ARMED MEN.

RAILROADS UNABLE TO KEEP UP WITH THE IN
cRrAsE OF POPULATION THIS YEA3-NO conn
TO BURN-LIvEs LOST ~ ALL THE WESTERN
COUNTIES.
Topeka, Kan, Dee % (Specidh.-Thc terrible
storm which ragged through Southwestern Kansas
on Monday and Tucsolay caused suffering and death
IN every county The scarcity of coal that began
to be felt a month ago increased as cold weather
approached and many of the settlers were caught
without fuel and frozen to death. The people in
that portion OF the State settled on Government
claims and were without money, depending entire
ly upon their crop to be raised this fall The crop
was failure, leaving the people destitute. The
majority live in rudcly byllt houscs which afford
little protection. On Monday the mercury went
down to II degrees below zero and nearly 20 pco-
pie persisted. Near Golden, Grant County. L. c.
Clark pcrishcd with his team the prairie while
on his way to the town in search of fuel
Two deaths are reported from Greeley County,
en- the Colorado line. A brother and sister, Rob
crt and Sarah llaIzpcfcl, who lived on a claim in
an unsettled portion Of the county, found them
selves without any fuel on Sunday evening. The
only wood of any kind within several miles of
their place the lumber III a small shed near by.
Finding that they would he Obliged to this
lumber or perish the shed was torn down. Only
a small portion of the lumber used that night,
and the remainder was left outside In the night
some one stole the lumber and the young man and
girl were again left without fuel Early in the
morning the yodng man started for Horace a town
dbou, seven miles OF. hoping to get some coal lie
succeeded in getting POO pounds Of coal late in
the afternoon. but being Obliged t. travel in an
opposite direction to the furious wind then blow
ing hc did not reach hcmc until nearly midnight.
His limbs were then numb and ho was 50 exhausted
LAT Ln min adj
sion to the house. lie found his sister dead. Mrs.
Riley and two children persisted netar iDghton,
Lane County.
family Of four travelling overland in Clark
County had u terrible experience. The little two
Ncar-oid child was frozen on its mothers breast,
and later the father expired Just as they came in
sight of "A house. Deaths are reported from scV-
cra other counties and the greatest suffering pre-
walls.
The railroads control the mines and are there
fore blamed for the lack Of fuel. In answer Col
oncl Quigg manager of the Atchison. says:
In the last three years there have been con-
structcd nearly 1900 miles Cf railroad track in
the state Of Kansas Every mile Of this track re-
quirrs certain amount Of coal for It's operation,
and think scarcely mile Of the new Itad passes
u coal field, or has in any degree contributed 10y
production or otherwise To the coal supply. on
lI' INC ul lib - newly tpu~tTu'lh IVdbS nun
drcds Of towns have been built. These towns are
occupied by thousands upon thousands Of people
from abroad. and mills and factories have been cS-
tahliShcd. every one of which requires the con-
sumption of a certain amount of feel but not one
contributes IN any way 10 lis production Al
the present time there are no statistics obtainahlc
that would correctly show the increase IN popula-
tion in Western Kansas in the past year but II j.
safe 20 say that il has been enormous much he
voId ANYTHING in the history OF that portion Of the
State generally. In past years Kansas has been
favored with bOuutlful corn crop ana TINS
was in many cases used by the people as sub
stitutc for coal but this year the corn crop WAS
almost . failure For months IL has been serious
quest for those interested III coal production IN
tins country to how an increased demand can bc
supplied. The Atchson Company began early in
the summer 10 take all possible steps 10 Increase
lis output, but to accomplish this many miles of
railroad had 10 hc constructed and mining maciin-
cry purchased and erected In all Of this the usual
DELAYS were encountered Notwithstanding the
pauy increased it, production 80 per cent IN the
first ten months of the present year a large IN
crease when the magnitude Of the business Is
considered but still insufficient to meet the large
increased demand The first cold wind Of last
month brought "a host Of unsupplcd people To the
coal producers in IA bunch, all demanding fuel at
once The coal cars are now guarded by armed
men AZ all stations farmers have stopped trains
and helped themselves to coal in the last two days.